It has been a bittersweet season at Pontypridd. They remain leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the Welsh Premiership and reached the semi-final stage of the British and Irish cup. For all of their on-field success, off the pitch they are still losing an ongoing battle.
As Pontypridd were dramatically knocked out of the British and Irish cup by a strong Leinster side on Saturday 26th April, the real news could be found in the match programme. Guto Davies had written his thoughts on the current set-up in Welsh rugby, in a strongly worded article chastising the 'sheer arrogance' of the four professional entities.
Pontypridd did once have a region of course; the Celtic Warriors. This region was disbanded after just one year, leaving Wales with the four regions that we have today. Pontypridd’s relationship with the regions, since 2004, has unsurprisingly always been strained, and has been coming to a head this season. With members of their support base believing that they deserve the chance to turn professional, due to their huge success over the last ten years.
Sardis Road is a great rugby ground and has had great success in the last few years, but it is a club that has been treading water, waiting to make the next step up. Guto Davies states in his article that "Regional Rugby' was the figment of an accountant's imagination who, back in 2003, went to work balancing the books of the WRU." Instead referring to the four sides as ‘super clubs’, this may be true and the financial model of the organisations are certainly questionable, made worse by a lack of funding from the WRU.
The ‘super clubs’ that Davies speaks of are interesting because it is a term that further antagonises Pontypridd. They are the best club in the Premiership and feel that they should be elevated to the status of a ‘super club’. This week David Moffet has said that “Wales could support five regions.” Moffet may not be the most popular man in Pontypridd but this single sound bite will have gone down very well in Pontypridd.
So is there any truth in the claim from both Pontypridd and Moffet. I spoke to Pontypridd Chief Executive Steve Reardon on some of the issues raised in Davies’ article. He told me that “Pontypridd is a rugby club that will always aspire to play at the highest possible level but we have to be realistic and the step-up is not financially viable. There is no real possibility of a fifth region."
In Wales we are currently struggling to support four regions and if anything, they are losing ground on the rest of the Pro12 and Europe. If Pontypridd became a region itself or as they would have it a ‘super club’ this money would be further diluted.
As well as the money being diluted, the talent pool would be diluted. We are struggling to keep top Welsh stars in Wales at present, with each team having less money we would further struggle. Add to this, the players that do stay would be spread over five regions rather than four. A simple equation tells you that each team would be weaker if one more region was installed. It looks like no Welsh teams will reach the Pro12 play-offs this year, can we afford to weaken any further?
Pontypridd’s current squad is thin on the ground compared to the current regions. Pontypridd currently have 37 players on their books whereas the Ospreys have 51. This is simply because the game is more physical the higher it goes. It is what Pontypridd would need to do; they would need to employ a squad as well as coaching, physio’s and administrative staff that dwarfs their current set-up.
Although Pontypridd are currently semi-pro, stepping up to the professional level requires top financial management as well as good on field performances. All the regions have top financial teams to help balance the books, simply because the money isn’t there at present. All these ‘extra’ jobs mean that each region has around 200-250 people on the payroll. At present the four regions share a central pot of £6.4 million from the WRU with their income topped-up thanks to competition money. After the large salaries of players are taken from this sum, there isn’t enough to pay the backroom staff and the money needs to be raised by the club. There is no benefactor to stump up the cash according to Reardon, and therefore, heads of Pontypridd are “not going to put the club in peril” by jumping up to the Pro12.
The playing squad is another issue, as good as Pontypridd have been this year. Steve Reardon told me that the “Rabo is a level up we couldn’t compete in week in week out.” They would need to add real top-class talent in key positions and that comes at a cost, a cost that the established regions are already struggling to pay. It is unlikely that a new region would fare any differently in this area, unless they have a very generous benefactor.
Pontypridd would go from winning regularly; to scrambling at the wrong end of the table should they become a professional outfit. This is a simple fact. They have support now, that has grown with success, but how much of that support will stay after a few hard seasons in the Pro12. The ‘pot of gold’ that Pontypridd see in becoming a region isn’t everything they might think. Players are also going to think twice about joining a side in the lower half of the table; their recruitment is bound to struggle.
Over the Irish Sea they have a ‘working model’. Granted they have more money in their game, but still they only have four provinces. They are not over extending themselves and spreading their resources too thinly.
There are also several logistical issues standing in Pontypridd’s way. The size of the stadium for one, is a major stumbling block. Sardis Road would be half the size of Parc Y Scarlets and almost three times as small as the Liberty Stadium, with no corporate boxes. The way Welsh rugby is at present, regions need to earn all they can from stadia and ticket pricing. This would mean either a new stadium or a large scale expansion of Sardis Road. This would be greatly expensive either way and would again raise the question - where would the money come from? Therefore, Pontypridd may be better advised to keep on the right side of the WRU and not criticise them quite so much.
Reardon informed me that the current average gate at Sardis Road is “between 1,700 and 2,000.” However, he did say that he was “confident that if Pontypridd were playing at a higher level we would increase that support.”
I agree that changes are needed in Welsh rugby and particularly in the Premiership. However, I think it is time to put cold water on Pontypridd’s claims to be a region. They are a great club and their success this year has been brilliant but if the finance is not there then in cannot be seen as an option.
On the topic of the Welsh Rugby Union, Reardon assured me that "We have Regular and constructive dialogue with the Welsh Rugby Union." Perhaps the age old dispute between the WRU and Pontypridd is over. Through this ‘constructive dialogue’ Pontypridd have secured a “20% increase for next season in funding.” Reardon will continue to keep them financially stable within the Premiership but does not see them stepping up anytime soon.
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